Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to detection of out-of-spec operation of monolithic integrated circuit devices, and more particularly to supply voltage glitch detection in monolithic integrated circuit devices.
Description of Related Art
Some types of monolithic integrated circuit devices contain one or more analog detection circuits that monitor the operational conditions of the device such as, for example, supply or internal voltages, temperature, and clock rate, to detect when the device operates outside of specific margins. When such an out-of-spec condition is detected, the analog detection circuit causes the monolithic silicon device to be placed in a state such as power off or reset that prevents incorrect operation of the device or damage to the device or system in which the device is used.
Establishing the operating condition margins is challenging, since the detection circuit can false trigger if the margins are too narrow, and can become overly unresponsive if the margins are too broad.
Improvement in the monitoring of the operational conditions of the device detection circuits is desirable to reduce the risk of false triggers on the one hand and nonresponsiveness on the other.